When it comes to creative projects, you’ll likely need all hands on deck with designers, copywriters, marketing and/or PR pros and more to orchestrate a successful launch. As should be expected, projects can quickly spiral with so many parties involve, especially if there is a lack of communication. One remedy for this is a creative brief, but how you approach a creative brief could make or break your project.

In this #ContentChat, we discuss cases where creative briefs are needed, what you should include, and other ways to troubleshoot the process and ensure a successful launch.

Q1: What are some drawbacks to using creative briefs? And what are situations wherein you wouldn’t use them?

Creative briefs can feel time intensive and rigid.

A1a: I remember being on the client side and feeling like the creative brief was unnecessary because so much of what we did as a brand was thoroughly documented and rigid. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A1: for a long time I thought they were too rigid. They forced me to be too thoughtful about the topic. I was moving too fast to appreciate them. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) February 11, 2019

When people don’t see the value in creative briefs (or don’t understand what they are), they are more hesitant or refuse to fill them out. This causes delays and could require a different, less versed person to fill out the form, potentially sacrificing the end result of the project.

A1: I personally would have a hard time getting subject matter experts who request content to fill them out. I’d have to create them myself or have the manager of that client do so. #contentchat https://t.co/ZbI1886Fvs
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) February 11, 2019

So it’s interesting that you say that. I actually do the filling out, not my clients for that EXACT reason. It’s much easier and it fulfills my control freak tendency. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) February 11, 2019

For sure. I can translate an email the client has sent into a content brief as well and send it back as a summary. That helps them see what I’m doing from my viewpoint. #ContentChat
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) February 11, 2019

A1: It’s amazing when not one SME has time to help you fill one out, but once it goes out for review, they are all there to say what’s missing. And usually CC the world. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/gX1t3A4NPn
— Shawn Paul Wood (@ShawnPaulWood) February 11, 2019

A1: One of the biggest drawbacks of using a content brief is that not everyone, especially clients, know what it is. Another drawback is achieving laser focus on a single-minded idea or vision. #ContentChat
— Wayne Hendry (@ideakid88) February 11, 2019

Brevity is key, but often difficult to attain.

It’s very easy to end up with too much detail and over explanation (no one is going to read a 12-page creative brief!) #contentchat https://t.co/F37D7ONSQC
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) February 11, 2019

A1: Marketing plans need to be comprehensive but you need to pull out the critical data for them to be used effectively. “Brief” is the operative term, give content marketers the info from the overall strategy development they need to contribute to its success. #contentchat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) February 11, 2019

Depending on the scale of your project or familiarity of the team, the brief may not be worth the time investment.

A1b: Also, it can feel like it’s a waste of time to fill in a 2-page creative brief format, for example, for one-time use short copy, or for a recurring project. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A1: In general, we used them for any project in which we needed elements for copy and creative – tied into a larger campaign or stand alone. For smaller one-offs or pick up creative, we wouldn’t be as dependent on them when we already knew the “what & how” #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger ✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) February 11, 2019

A1. Depends on the scope & impact/cost of missing the mark. Big, complex project involving writer, designer, developer, etc. (not to mention client stakeholders) benefits from clear expectations agreed to in brief. Simple blog post? Maybe not worth it. #contentchat https://t.co/PRy5wAwBCP
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) February 11, 2019

A1] Use of creative briefs depends on your needs & familiarity with your team, agency & freelancers. One key benefit is to get everyone on the same page and state deliverables & deadlines #contentchat
— HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) February 11, 2019

Q2: What are some of the benefits of using creative briefs? What are the key reasons why you use creative briefs as part of your content marketing workflow?

Despite the above drawbacks, briefs are a critical and often necessary way to make sure everyone is aligned.

A2a: A creative brief is your opportunity to get everyone on the same page as to the goals of your content, and what succes looks like. It prompts you to provide details+resources for your content creator. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A2: I found briefs to be great for outlining what our goals and needs were (what the promotion was, what channels, what elements were needed), along with examples of copy and creative concepts to help our creative teams with delivering #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger ✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) February 11, 2019

A2: It should set the marketing goals, expectations, target audience/personas and desired actions from that audience that the creative needs to deliver upon. #contentchat https://t.co/y4j0QzbGlI
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) February 11, 2019

A2. Most importantly, a brief documents WHY you are doing the work and what the goals/success metrics are. #ContentChat https://t.co/polVU37HaV
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) February 11, 2019

A2. The benefits of creative briefs include:
Getting everybody on the same page.
Increasing the chance of getting what you want.
Being more efficient.
Having a defined process.
You can improve a process that is defined. #Contentchat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) February 11, 2019

The brief also ensures the project has been fully thought through, and that everyone knows (and agrees to) their role and the scope of the project.

A2b: As a freelancer, it’s helpful to make sure the client has thought through their objectives and call-to-action so we can avoid numerous rounds of revision. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A2: If anything, it serves as an outline to ensure everything is covered and ideas have been properly vetted. In #contentmarketing, always CYA. #ContentChat
— Shawn Paul Wood (@ShawnPaulWood) February 11, 2019

A2: A content brief is an acknowledgment in writing of the requested work; it’s a good way to scope a task and make clear what’s expected on both sides. #ContentChat https://t.co/3exLwSP1Dt
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) February 11, 2019

Q3: What are some of the primary obstacles you encounter in the creative brief process?

One workaround is scheduling an intake call with the client to discuss/complete the brief. You can even get them to verbally fill out the form without them knowing.

At the agency, we used to schedule intake calls where our writer and AE would, over the course of the call, get the info to complete the brief without the client even noticing. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

Poor or siloed communication can lead to a misalignment between teams or in regards to the scope of the project.

A3: #contentchat When Marketing, Sales and Design departments are siloed and compete with each other rather than align to empower one another, this creates obstacles to everyone’s success. https://t.co/CD6jLHoRK4
— Michael Boyce (@mjboyce) February 11, 2019

A3. Do you mean in developing the briefs or receiving them? There are obstacles in both directions, and they’re mostly based on poor communication and bad assumptions. #ContentChat https://t.co/MQgFLQMRSX
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) February 11, 2019

Competing interests between departments or roles can also muddy the process if there is not open communication or if people try to micromanage one another.

A3: Everyone wants something different out of the brief (client, strategists, copywriter, designer, etc.) and is approaching it from their needs and/or processes. #contentchat https://t.co/XKqiEaD0US
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) February 11, 2019

A3c. The biggest challenge for those assigning briefs is to respect the content professional. Don’t proscribe every headline, paragraph, and comma. Remember that the professional is an expert. #ContentChat
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) February 11, 2019

A deeper issue could be if the company does not know their audience or have a documented content strategy.

A3: A creative brief is particularly challenging if the company doesn’t know who their audience is or doesn’t have content strategy level topics they’re using as guard rails. Then it’s like bedlam. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) February 11, 2019

Q4: What are the key items every creative brief must include?

There’s a handful of essentials: project description, goal, definition for success, timeline, design requirements, team roles and approval process.

A4: At the bare minimum, a creative brief needs to include a project description, what it’s trying to achieve, what success looks like, your timeline, any design requirements, and who needs to review + approve. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/6QpYyk3ac6
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A4: Desired outcome, audience, project it ties back to, key person/s involved, description of topic, and proposed timeline among other things. #ContentChat https://t.co/f1UT4YOLQc
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) February 11, 2019

A4. Who, What, When, Where, Why and How: Goals, KPIs, target audience, channels, key messages (if it’s for demand or sales enablement)… #contentchat https://t.co/53A8GnjERD
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) February 11, 2019

A4: Creative Briefs:
* Who that company is
* how this piece will support their goals
* what market they’re trying to reach
* what deliverables they’ll need out of it
* budget information, supporting materials (internal/external)
* brand voice, additional resources. #Contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) February 11, 2019

A4: This is my creative brief template in 2019: https://t.co/3hxkULv4iP
#ContentChat
— Wayne Hendry (@ideakid88) February 11, 2019

Q5: What are some optional items you might want to include in a creative brief?

Remember that your brief should be, well, brief. But there’s some additional elements you can include in your brief to streamline the creation process. These include approved content to reference, examples of similar content, required messaging or formatting requirements.

A5: I like to include a selection of vetted resources to use as research or to link out to, examples of similar content that’s performed well, and an area to add in any required messaging. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A5: Examples of other creative or copy are items that I always liked when my team included and any metrics to back up what our requests are #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) February 11, 2019

A5 Maybe I should have saved my A4 for this one… Optional stuff on a creative brief might be format specific (web writing – keyword strat / email writing – audience-specific data on how their target reads email / video – primary distribution channels). #contentchat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) February 11, 2019

A5: Any ToV or brand guidelines are also helpful, especially if it’s a new writer or just to something to lean on for sanity checking 🙃🙂 #ContentChat
— Laura Rudd 🤓 (@lauraherself) February 11, 2019

A5: I ask the client to provide any examples of what they envisage to help manage expectations. For example, if they’re requesting a simple blog post but envisaging an elaborate @nytimes style multimedia feature – I wouldn’t know that unless they point to an example. #contentchat
— charlotte goodwin. (@thisiscgoodwin) February 11, 2019

Q6: Do you use the same creative brief for all your content marketing projects? Or do you have a few different creative briefs for specific content types?

Having a universal brief can save you time and keep you organized.

A6: I think it’s most efficient to have a standard creative brief. Now, if you’re a freelancer or agency, I can see that it would make sense to do some possible tweaks for the client, but standardization will keep you organized and sane! #ContentChat https://t.co/xKKxVbMgR1
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) February 11, 2019

But a standardized brief may not be adequate to prepare you for all project types. Webinars, for example, can need a greater level of detail. You could create variations to suit different needs, but to Jennifer’s comment above, be sure to keep things organized.

A6: I have worked with one-size-fits-all creative briefs in the past but currently use one for for most projects and a specific one for webinars otherwise I don’t get what I need to write compelling content. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A6: For our creative team, we do use one specific creative brief – from that one creative brief, there are variations that are used for other teams etc. We used one for digital creative and for local creative. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) February 11, 2019

A6: Yes, I have used different creative briefs in the past that are more specific to certain media like email, website, etc. #ContentChat
— Jeff Midgley (@hey_midge) February 11, 2019

A6. I have a standard template, but add/subtract sections that do or don’t fit the project. For example, video has info that wouldn’t apply to other types of content. #ContentChat https://t.co/edIVYJGH8R
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) February 11, 2019

Q7: For those of you who work as freelancers or in an agency, what’s your one-sentence pitch for marketers who don’t like creative briefs to encourage them to do so—for your sake?

Reference these inspiring words the next time you need to convince a client to fill out a creative brief.

A7: Want brilliantly creative work that puts your brand on a whole other level? Fill out the creative brief! #contentchat https://t.co/CuSEs8DnDf
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) February 11, 2019

A7: The few minutes you take to fill out this brief will give me a solid foundation for creating content that best meets your needs, instead of giving you a headache and hours of edits… 😉 #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) February 11, 2019

A7: One of the best uses of a creative brief is, after the final product is delivered and there are questions, you can point back to the brief to reinforce how everything was purposefully done to reflect the initial ask. #ContentChat
— Jeff Midgley (@hey_midge) February 11, 2019

A7. The creative brief defines your target audience, where they are in their customer journey, and what your goals for this piece/campaign are. It is important because it greatly enhances the chance of meeting your goals.
There. 2 sentences, though. #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) February 11, 2019

We’ll check back in with Carmen later but it sounds like she’s on a good path.

A7. Haven’t had this come up, but it would be good to have in my back pocket. I’d focus on the value of not wasting time and money. (Note to self: craft a one-sentence pitch for creative/content brief.) #ContentChat https://t.co/7Jy2xfqUlj
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) February 11, 2019

Q8: In our last few minutes of today’s #ContentChat share your creative brief tips or questions!

To recap Bernie and Derek: Ask questions until you’re satisfied, be open to having others ask questions, keep communication open, and keep the interests of every party in mind.

Briefs might be a pain for some, but in the long run they help both the creative team and the requestor – be open to questioning, have open communications and be collaborative #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) February 11, 2019

TIP: Ask questions until you are satisfied, particularly on goals. A great @franklincovey tactic is to keep asking the client how you would consider something successful and then have them rank all the reasons they provided so we could focus on a key objective. #contentchat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) February 11, 2019

TIP: Remember the creative brief serves everyone’s interests – it is a way for all parties to agree on what needs to be accomplished through the project, saving time and allowing content creators to focus on task at hand. #contentchat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) February 11, 2019

February 11, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Creative Briefs 101: Why You Need to Use Them and What to Include

Q1: What are some drawbacks to using creative briefs? And what are situations wherein you wouldn’t use them?

Creative briefs can feel time intensive and rigid.

When people don’t see the value in creative briefs (or don’t understand what they are), they are more hesitant or refuse to fill them out. This causes delays and could require a different, less versed person to fill out the form, potentially sacrificing the end result of the project.

Brevity is key, but often difficult to attain.

Depending on the scale of your project or familiarity of the team, the brief may not be worth the time investment.

Q2: What are some of the benefits of using creative briefs? What are the key reasons why you use creative briefs as part of your content marketing workflow?

Despite the above drawbacks, briefs are a critical and often necessary way to make sure everyone is aligned.

The brief also ensures the project has been fully thought through, and that everyone knows (and agrees to) their role and the scope of the project.

Q3: What are some of the primary obstacles you encounter in the creative brief process?

Related to the answers in Q1, it can be difficult to get SMEs or clients to fill out the form thoroughly (or at all).

One workaround is scheduling an intake call with the client to discuss/complete the brief. You can even get them to verbally fill out the form without them knowing.

Poor or siloed communication can lead to a misalignment between teams or in regards to the scope of the project.

Competing interests between departments or roles can also muddy the process if there is not open communication or if people try to micromanage one another.

A deeper issue could be if the company does not know their audience or have a documented content strategy.

Q4: What are the key items every creative brief must include?

There’s a handful of essentials: project description, goal, definition for success, timeline, design requirements, team roles and approval process.

Q5: What are some optional items you might want to include in a creative brief?

Remember that your brief should be, well, brief. But there’s some additional elements you can include in your brief to streamline the creation process. These include approved content to reference, examples of similar content, required messaging or formatting requirements.

Q6: Do you use the same creative brief for all your content marketing projects? Or do you have a few different creative briefs for specific content types?

Having a universal brief can save you time and keep you organized.

But a standardized brief may not be adequate to prepare you for all project types. Webinars, for example, can need a greater level of detail. You could create variations to suit different needs, but to Jennifer’s comment above, be sure to keep things organized.

Q7: For those of you who work as freelancers or in an agency, what’s your one-sentence pitch for marketers who don’t like creative briefs to encourage them to do so—for your sake?

Reference these inspiring words the next time you need to convince a client to fill out a creative brief.

We’ll check back in with Carmen later but it sounds like she’s on a good path.

Q8: In our last few minutes of today’s #ContentChat share your creative brief tips or questions!

To recap Bernie and Derek: Ask questions until you’re satisfied, be open to having others ask questions, keep communication open, and keep the interests of every party in mind.

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Q1: What are some drawbacks to using creative briefs? And what are situations wherein you wouldn’t use them?

Creative briefs can feel time intensive and rigid.

When people don’t see the value in creative briefs (or don’t understand what they are), they are more hesitant or refuse to fill them out. This causes delays and could require a different, less versed person to fill out the form, potentially sacrificing the end result of the project.

Brevity is key, but often difficult to attain.

Depending on the scale of your project or familiarity of the team, the brief may not be worth the time investment.

Q2: What are some of the benefits of using creative briefs? What are the key reasons why you use creative briefs as part of your content marketing workflow?

Despite the above drawbacks, briefs are a critical and often necessary way to make sure everyone is aligned.

The brief also ensures the project has been fully thought through, and that everyone knows (and agrees to) their role and the scope of the project.

Q3: What are some of the primary obstacles you encounter in the creative brief process?

Related to the answers in Q1, it can be difficult to get SMEs or clients to fill out the form thoroughly (or at all).

One workaround is scheduling an intake call with the client to discuss/complete the brief. You can even get them to verbally fill out the form without them knowing.

Poor or siloed communication can lead to a misalignment between teams or in regards to the scope of the project.

Competing interests between departments or roles can also muddy the process if there is not open communication or if people try to micromanage one another.

A deeper issue could be if the company does not know their audience or have a documented content strategy.

Q4: What are the key items every creative brief must include?

There’s a handful of essentials: project description, goal, definition for success, timeline, design requirements, team roles and approval process.

Q5: What are some optional items you might want to include in a creative brief?

Remember that your brief should be, well, brief. But there’s some additional elements you can include in your brief to streamline the creation process. These include approved content to reference, examples of similar content, required messaging or formatting requirements.

Q6: Do you use the same creative brief for all your content marketing projects? Or do you have a few different creative briefs for specific content types?

Having a universal brief can save you time and keep you organized.

But a standardized brief may not be adequate to prepare you for all project types. Webinars, for example, can need a greater level of detail. You could create variations to suit different needs, but to Jennifer’s comment above, be sure to keep things organized.

Q7: For those of you who work as freelancers or in an agency, what’s your one-sentence pitch for marketers who don’t like creative briefs to encourage them to do so—for your sake?

Reference these inspiring words the next time you need to convince a client to fill out a creative brief.

We’ll check back in with Carmen later but it sounds like she’s on a good path.

Q8: In our last few minutes of today’s #ContentChat share your creative brief tips or questions!

To recap Bernie and Derek: Ask questions until you’re satisfied, be open to having others ask questions, keep communication open, and keep the interests of every party in mind.

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